Footprints
by BraverStrongerSmarter
Summary: A songfic set to "Footprints" by Barenaked Ladies. On a cold winter's night, Septimus Weasley finds himself following a certain set of footprints.


This songfic was written for **The next Padfoot's** Christmas Spirit Competition. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the song "Footprints". I'm not that awesome.

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><p><strong>I followed footprints in the snow,<br>****Never knowing if I was right behind you,  
><strong>**Looking down no one would know,  
><strong>**I wasn't walking hand in hand beside you.**

The footprints he was following were slightly smaller compared to his own, and much more feminine. He could picture their creator with much clarity in his mind. Long, silky black hair. Smooth alabaster skin. Dazzling blue eyes. She was possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But she was a Black, and he – well, he wasn't worth her time.

Yet Septimus Weasley followed the footprints anyway, keeping to one side so not to destroy their simple beauty. He shoved his hands further into the pockets of his worn out coat in an attempt to shield them from the bitter cold. Snow had started to fall once more, albeit only lightly, and he was still shivering. He needed a new coat, but his family didn't have enough money to buy many new things. So he had to make do with what little he had.

**For your footprints lead the way,  
><strong>**To a hearth where hearts we made surround you,  
><strong>**You're awash in all its glow,  
><strong>**And I'm still standing in the snow.**

The red haired boy followed the footprints until they ended in front of a warmly lit cottage. He recognized this house. They had spent many nights here over the holidays. It was the only place they could go without arousing any suspicion from either of their families. Her sister, Callidora, was a rare gem indeed – a Black who understood and knew love. They had been safe with the now Mrs. Longbottom.

Slowly, Septimus peaked inside to find _her_ seated inside on a fine red sofa, a small child seated on her lap. The baby was dressed in a frilly red dress, her short blonde curls pinned up in a bow on top of her head. He watched as she bounced the baby up and down on her knee, her long green dress never lifting off the floor. She was beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed pink, either from the cold outside or the warm fire next to her. He couldn't be sure. But either way, she was captivating.

He wished that he could be there inside with her. Not only for the warmth that the household would provide to his now frozen hands. But for the warmth that _she_ would give to his icy heart. But his place was no longer with her. He belonged out here, in the snow.

**I stood and watched the lights go out,  
><strong>**While the snowflakes settled all around me,  
><strong>**And though it filled my heart with doubt,  
><strong>**Couldn't move and this is where you found me.**

He didn't know how long he stood there, snowflakes falling all around him. His fingers, toes, ears and nose had gone numb long ago, but he didn't seem to care. As finally, the lights flickered out, taking the small spark of hope he had along with them, the once bold Gryffindor let out a long, weary sigh. She wasn't going to come outside and talk to him. She had given up on him – and rightfully so. He was all wrong for her, and he knew it.

Septimus sighed again and willed himself to leave the dark wooden door behind. He needed to go home, he knew, before he caught a cold. But he couldn't make his feet move. It was as if they were frozen to the ground beneath him.

Then, suddenly, the front door began to creak open. Out stepped his beautiful angel, her woolen coat wrapped tightly around her. His heart began to beat faster as she shut the door behind her and turned to face him, her blue eyes as icy as the air around them.

**As our footprints disappear,  
><strong>**Snow erasing how I came to be here,  
><strong>**I've got nowhere else to go,  
><strong>**Now you're standing in the snow.**

The snow continued to fall, creating a thick blanket over the once visible pair of footprints leading to the small cottage. The two young people gazed at each other for what seemed like an eternity, their eyes locked upon one another. Neither one knew what to say. Neither one knew how to make the first move.

Septimus should have done something, _anything_, at that moment in time, but it was as if his brain had forgotten how to work. She had that effect on him. Whenever they were together, he was always scared – scared they would be found out. Scared she would finally come to her senses and realize just how much of a looser he really was. It was as if the enticing serpent made all of his Gryffindor courage vanish, just with a blink of her eyes or a smile on her lips.

**Look for understanding in the snow,  
><strong>**You look just outstanding in the snow,  
><strong>**Standing in the snow.**

"Well?" Cedrella Black finally asked, her arms crossing across her chest. Septimus was unsure if this was an aggressive posture she was taking, or if she was just trying to ward off the cold.

"I –" he began, but stopped. What was he supposed to say to her? "I, um, saw you leaving the pub."

The raven haired beauty looked at him quizzically. "So you decided to follow me here? And stand outside the door for three hours?"

"Three hours?" Septimus asked, the shock evident in his voice. No wonder he was so cold and stiff!

Cedrella giggled, a small smile lighting up her face. "Why didn't you just knock on the door, Sep?" she asked softly, taking a small step closer to him. "I would have gladly let you in."

"I couldn't bring myself to do it," he confessed, his voice no more than a whisper now. It didn't matter. She could still hear him.

"What are you so afraid of?" Her eyes. They seemed so blue on that night. Septimus couldn't seem to find the strength to look away. And while she held his gaze, he found he couldn't refrain from speaking the very things on his mind.

"I don't want to lose you," he rasped. "But I know I have nothing to offer you. And I don't think I could bear it…to hear you say it. Say you didn't want me. You didn't love me."

A soft gasp emerged from her pink lips and for a moment, Septimus thought he saw tears in her eyes. "Oh, Sep," she breathed as she closed the distance between them. Her body felt so warm against his, and Septimus held her all the more tightly because of it. "Don't ever think that. I love you, more than anyone else in this entire world."

"But, your family," he protested, knowing very well that they were the reason he couldn't be with her. He couldn't – wouldn't – make her choose between him and her family. For any wizard or witch with any level of common sense knew that a daughter of the House of Black couldn't have both her family and a blood-traitor for a husband. It simply wasn't done.

"I would give up my family a thousand times over for just one night in your arms."

A grin broke out across Septimus' face before he could stop it. His heart was fluttering, his hands shaking as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. They were soft, and warm, and tasted slightly of strawberries.

"I love you, Ella."

The girl smiled and took him by the hand, leading him into the cottage so he could warm up. "Good," she teased, flashing him a bright smile. "Because you're stuck with me."

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><p><strong>Now it's almost Christmas Eve,<br>****And I'm surrounded with the sound of laughter,  
><strong>**To give is better than to deceive,  
><strong>**For I received a happy ever after.**

The house was by no means fancy, Septimus knew that much, but it was sturdy and warm, and smelled of firewood and warm apple pie. It was a place the man loved more than any other, because it was where his family was.

As he walked through the door, he could hear the familiar thumping of two sets of footsteps racing down the stairs.

"Daddy! Daddy!" His eldest son cried as he and his younger brother launched themselves into their father's arms. Septimus picked up the boys and spun them around excitedly. He was done work for the week, which meant that the Christmas holidays could finally begin.

"Hey boys! It's good to see you." He placed both boys on the ground, ruffling their messy dark hair some more. Michael, the younger son, began jumping up and down excitedly as Billius, the almost ten-year-old smiled to himself.

"Can we open our present now Daddy?" the five year old pleaded. "It's Cwismas Eve and you said we could once you got home."

Septimus smiled and motioned for his sons to go and sit by the tree. He placed his briefcase down on the floor by the couch and removed his shoes just as his beautiful wife emerged from upstairs, carrying a small, red haired boy in her arms.

"Say hi to Daddy, Arthur," she cooed as she handed the small child over to Septimus. The man grinned as his youngest son reached out and began pulling on his beard.

"Ready for presents?" Septimus asked excitedly as the Weasley family sat down on the couch around their small, slightly lopsided, but wonderfully decorated Christmas tree.

"Of course," his wife laughed, her blue eyes sparkling with happiness. Septimus began handing out a single present to all the kids first. They would open the rest of the presents the next morning after Santa had visited. This night was more for spending time with each other.

"No way!" Billy shouted excitedly. "Chudley Cannons Pajamas. Wicked! Thanks Mum, thanks Dad."

"Wook!" Michael said happily, waving his new fire truck pajamas at Billy. "I got Jammas too."

Septimus smiled as together he and his wife unwrapped Arthur's new teddy bear pajamas. "Right, boys," Septimus began. "Go change into your new pj's and then come back downstairs. I'll finish out the night by reading our favorite Christmas story."

"Aww, Dad," Billy whined. "Do we have to go to bed so early?"

"Of course you do boys," Cedrella said, her eyes shining mischievously. "The sooner you fall asleep, the sooner Santa will come."

That got both boys running full speed up the stairs. Septimus smiled and handed Arthur over to Cedrella so she could get him into his new pajamas as well. It was a family tradition to buy the boys new pajamas for Christmas Eve so they could wear them for the holidays.

"Ella." His wife turned to him, a smile on her face. Septimus only smiled back. When he had married her twelve years ago, he was positive that he would never love another person as much as he loved her. But then she had given him three beautiful boys and he learned that he was able to love more than one person with all his heart. Septimus knew that he didn't deserve such a wonderful woman as his wife. But she had chosen him anyway. And he knew that he would always be by her side, in this life, and whatever came after.

Without another word, the man leaned over and kissed her sweetly on the lips. She still tasted like strawberries, even after all these years. Septimus smiled and drew back as he heard laughter from the staircase. His two older sons came skipping down the stairs, bright smiles on their faces.

"Read to us Daddy!" Billy said, handing his father the old book. It was worn in some places, and some of the pages were beginning to fall out, but that didn't deter the now thirty-three year old man from beginning the all too famous tale.

"Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house…"

**You might have left me in the cold,  
><strong>**A fitting ending for the fool that I was,  
><strong>**But you'd be cuddled up alone,  
><strong>**And I'd still be standing in the snow.**

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><p>an: Hope you all liked it. I really enjoyed writing it, and I think I've found another song to add to my Christmas favorites list.


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